Laurie Jean Depies, Disappearance, Wisconsin 1992

The Fox River Mall parking lot. August 19, 1992. Sounds like a postcard for small-town America, doesn’t it? But beneath the fluorescent lights and the late summer heat, a woman vanished. Laurie Jean Depies, 5’5”, around 115 pounds, green eyes, brown hair – she walked to her car after work, a routine commute turned ghost story. Witnesses say her car made it to the lot of her boyfriend’s apartment on West Wilson Avenue in Appleton, Wisconsin. But Laurie never made it inside. Just a locked car, a half-drunk soda sitting on the dash, and an emptiness that’s stretched for over three decades.

The details are sparse, the silence deafening. No forced entry, no witnesses to a struggle. Just…gone. The boyfriend’s sister and a friend searched, a frantic sweep of asphalt and shadows, but Laurie had dissolved into the Wisconsin night. Foul play is the only explanation the Bureau will offer, but the lack of a body, a clear motive, has allowed the case to grow cold, a permanent stain on the Appleton landscape. They say time dulls the edges of grief, but for the family, for anyone who knew Laurie, this isn’t about grief. It’s about the unanswered.

What was she running from? Or *to*? The FBI is offering a reward for information leading to her whereabouts, a desperate attempt to shake loose a forgotten memory, a whispered confession. They’re asking anyone who remembers that August evening, anyone who might have seen something, anything, to come forward. A distinctive detail, a fleeting glimpse – it could be the key. And there’s a mark to look for, a strange, unsettling detail: a tattoo on her right ankle, a squid, inked onto her skin. It’s a small thing, but in a case like this, small things matter.

Thirty-two years. Thirty-two years Laurie Jean Depies has been a ghost, a face on a wanted poster, a cold case file gathering dust. The streets change, the faces blur, but the questions remain. Someone out there knows something. Someone saw something. Someone has carried this secret for far too long.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Laurie Jean Depies, no matter how insignificant it may seem, contact the FBI immediately. Don’t let this woman remain a forgotten statistic. The number to call is 1-800-CALL-FBI. Help bring Laurie home, or at least, give her family the closure they deserve.

🔍 Key Facts

📋 Source: FBI Most Wanted — Laurie Jean Depies
If you have information about this fugitive, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Violent Crime

Indiana Crime Plagued by Rising Violent Crime Rates, Indiana 1995

Jul 1, 1995

Violent Crime

United States v. Warrick, Investment Fraud, Maryland 2023

Jul 1, 2013

Violent Crime

Holly, Money Laundering, Maryland 2023

Jul 1, 2016

Violent Crime

Frander Ulises Espinoza-Rugama, Firearm Possession, Louisiana 2024

Dec 6, 2024